Needles a sticking point in NKY

Michael Brosmore, a candidate for Covington City Commission, found needles used by drug addicts in an overgrown area near 12th and Wheeler streets. He’s worried because kids play near there, and he wants the city to clean up the property. City officials say they don’t have the right to clean up private property.(Photo: The Enquirer/ Patrick Reddy)Buy Photo

Heroin users have been leaving a potentially dangerous symptom of their addiction at an overgrown lot in Covington: used needles.

It's no surprise to Northern Kentucky residents or officials who've been working to pull the region out of a heroin epidemic. And it's cause for concern, according to health officials and Northern Kentucky People Advocating Recovery (PAR).

That's why NKY PAR is organizing syringe cleanups throughout the region, said Jason Merrick, president of the local chapter.

"We're collaborating with our partnering agencies. We're going to clean up the region," Merrick said Tuesday. "We will tell city officials, the police departments the days that we'll be in their area. We're looking for as much support as we can get, as much help as we can get."

He said the agencies will schedule weekend cleanups for all eight Northern Kentucky counties beginning this spring and continuing through the summer.

A candidate for Covington City Commission, Michael Brosmore, who lives in Covington's Eastside neighborhood, said he found "four or five" discarded needles about a week ago at a property near East 12th and Wheeler streets, where children frequently play. Brosmore said he was irked that the city has not cleaned up the property.

City officials say they don't have the right to clean needles or trash from private property, including the vacant lot at 1204-06 Wheeler St.

"The kids are endangering their lives," Brosmore said. "I just want it cleaned up."

He noted that the city cuts grass in the same area and thought workers could clean up the property, too.

"We can notify the property owner and tell them to clean it up," said City Manager Larry Klein. He said information regarding the property should be provided to the code enforcement department at Covington City Hall, which will follow by checking it out and notifying a property owner.

Klein said that city staff has learned so far that the property owner, listed as Timothy A Wilson "and others," does not live in Covington. The property is valued at $3,000.

Mayor Sherry Carran said Brosmore "is campaigning" and should have called the city police or fire department about the dirty needles he found. Carran said anyone who finds needles in Covington should call the police, which will send officers to remove them.

Covington Police Chief Spike Jones agreed: "We ask that anyone locates a hypodermic needle, or any sharp instrument for that matter, call us. We don't want a child or anyone getting stuck. We come and collect the sharp in a container for that purpose."

Facebook post to report used needles gets many responses

Police in other parts of the region also have asked residents to alert them to discarded needles.

The nationwide heroin epidemic plaguing Northern Kentucky is fueling the problem of discarded needles – which can carry diseases such as hepatitis B (for which there is a vaccination), hepatitis C (common in intravenous-drug users) and, to a lesser extent, HIV. Residents of numerous communities say they've spotted used needles in parking lots, tree lawns, front yards and alleys.

A recent Drug Free NKY Facebook post asked people where they've found syringes and needles. Responses included locations in Newport, Covington, Florence, Edgewood, Bellevue and parks in Pendleton and Grant counties. Others also recently have reported seeing needles in large parking lots, including in Fort Mitchell, Newport and Alexandria, in alleys, along the exits of highways and other parks and in a front in Crestview Hills.

Merrick said he's heard many of the same reports.

A long-term solution would be a needle exchange program, according to Merrick. He said that type of program would encourage addicts to bring their used needles to a specific location to be disposed of appropriately and provide clean needles to prevent the spread of disease.

However, Merrick said, in the short-term, he'll be starting his own pick-up this weekend.

"We will start this weekend. Even if it's just me," Merrick said, adding that he will notify Covington police, the mayor and others that he is doing so.

Agencies including the Kenton County Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse and Campbell County Drug Free Alliance are among those which NKY PAR has tapped to help. He said he is certain to establish partnerships for needle pickups in all of Northern Kentucky's eight counties.

Merrick said the organizers will need more help, as well as donations, as the cleanups are arranged.

Dr. Lynne Saddler, district director of the Northern Kentucky Health Department, said the risk of infection is significantly lower for people who get stuck with a needle than for those who plunge them directly into their veins; however, there is always a risk.